What are IT Managed Services? What is it and why does it matter?

The IT Managed Service Provider concept is widely used in the IT industry. In short, it is a model in which an IT company that is large enough in size can outsource certain IT related functions and services to a third party. The major benefit of the concept is that a company saves a lot of money by focusing on certain technologies rather than investing in every software, hardware and device for every possible application. As a matter of fact, it also enables IT companies to focus more on their core business processes. But IT Managed Services is not an easy task at all. In order to become successful in this field, certain things need to be taken into consideration like choosing the right service provider, implementing an effective strategy for managing the outsourcing function and choosing the most suitable technology for outsourcing.

What are the benefits of managed services?

IT Managed Services is mostly considered as an outsourcing strategy for medium to big companies. Such businesses require IT support services that can deal with the IT workload. It is a cost effective solution which saves them from hiring IT professionals for their employees and for managing the office networks. In this case, the Managed IT Services provider is in charge of the maintenance and functionality of IT equipment and related technologies. It is common for such companies to outsource their print and design services, accounting and payroll functions, data processing functions, desktop and network support, desktop support and software development services to the service providers.

The total cost of Managed IT service provider is considerably lower than the cost incurred on installing and equipping the whole IT system. It is mainly because the company doesn't have to pay for the full set up cost of a dedicated IT staff and also don't have to pay for buying the software, devices and infrastructure. On the other hand, when a complete IT solution is installed and managed by a service provider, the total cost can rise up to a considerable level. However, there are certain factors which determine the total cost of IT managed services. These include the number of users in a particular department, the number of computers and servers in a network and the size of the network. If you are planning to outsource your IT managed services requirements, then these issues should be sorted out before you start outsourcing.

How managed IT services help businesses to delegate their IT operations?

Most of the managed services providers offer their IT managed services can be availed at low rates. However, the quality of the services provided and the time taken for the task vary from providers to providers. Some of the providers may offer free trial services for new customers, so that they can test the systems management platform before making the decision to hire the service. There are also some providers who may offer trial services for a limited time period.

Most of the service providers offering IT outsourcing solutions today are of international standard. Before outsourcing, it is important for you to ensure that the IT support services provider you are going to hire are IT mappers. IT mappers are responsible for assessing the appropriate solutions to various software and hardware based problems. For outsourcing purposes, it is also important for the service provider to have a good knowledge of the specific language used in the software or the hardware and the standard practices followed in the organization. Most IT outsourcing companies offer translators for non-English customers so that they can understand the nuances of the English language better.

How to experience high ROI with IT managed service providers?

IT managed services are useful for organizations that experience significant workloads on a daily basis. The best part about these services is that they provide proactive support and downtime management. For instance, most of the services will monitor the usage of bandwidth, the number of email accounts and the number of PCs. They also will keep an eye on the number of active computers. IT Managed Services Provider also helps in controlling the maintenance costs as well.

Mr. Ayanjit Biswas is a cybersecurity expert in Cyber security and risk management in UK firm. He ensures every organization practices cybersecurity protocols in order to reduce cybersecurity risks.